Pegs for clipping clothes, photographs and like flexible sheet articles to a line



@ March 1965 J. A. OPPENHEIMER 3,171, 81

PEGS F OR CLIPPING CLOTHES, PHOTOGRAPHS AND LIKE FLEXIBLE SHEET ARTICLES TO A LINE Filed May 23, 1962 I INVENTOR a, MHh A FREa OPPEIVMEIMER United States Patent 3,171,181 PEGS FOR CLIPPING CLOTHES, PHOTOGRAPHS gag LIKE FLEXIBLE SHEET ARTICLES TO A John Alfred Oppenheimer, Flat 5, 6 Hall Road, London NW. 8, England Filed May 23, 1962, Ser. No. 197,134 3 Claims. (Cl. 24-137) This invention comprises improvements in or relating to pegs for clipping clothes, photographs and like flexible sheet articles to a line.

When hanging out washing it is usual to fix articles of clothing on the clothes line by means of pegs which pinch the clothes. The pegs are frequently dropped on the ground and lost or become soiled and they are in any case a nuisance to store.

According to the present invention a peg for clipping clothes, photographs or like flexible sheet articles to a line comprises an endless elongated loop of resilient material the sides of which at the centre are wide enough apart to run freely on a clothes or like line but the ends of which are shaped like a hairpin with a tapered space between the sides thereof which can be pressed on the line with one side of the peg on each side of the line, wherein the loop is shaped (as viewed edge-on to the hairpin-shaped bends at the ends of the loop) with an S-bend between the ends, so that it can more readily grip an article to its left when one way up and an article to its right when inverted and an article of clothing or other object to be gripped, held between the sides of the hairpin and the line.

Such a loop is extremely light and cheap and easy to make and a number of loops can be strung on the line where they will remain ready for use.

The following is a description by way of example of one construction in accordance with the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a clothes peg in accordance with this invention, on a line;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the peg; and

FIGURE 3 shows several pegs in the positions occupied in use.

An endless loop 11 is made for example by taking a length of resilient polymer such as poly-methyl-methacrylate (commonly sold under the registered trademark Perspex) of the required length, bending it so that the ends meet and uniting them together. The loop is shaped so that there is a hairpin-shaped bend 12 in it which is just wide enough to fit over the line with its legs 13, 14 disposed slightly apart and hanging down therefrom. At some distance below the line the two legs bend at 15, FIGURE 1, in a direction as shown, at an inclination to the line and then downwards at 16 away from the line so that they form an S-bend in a direction parallel to the central plane passing through the loop. The portion of the loop 11 which extends away from the clothes line 20 comprises a second hairpin 18 to fit over the line, joining the two legs.

As the loops 11 are endless, if assembled on the line they will remain there. The sides are wide enough apart to be run along the line to any desired position and fixed upon clothes such as the clothes 19.

Preferably, these loops are used on a line 20 which is covered with a plastic sheath and if the loops are not made of a polymer such as above described they should be made of some other rustless resilient material, for example wire covered with plastic.

Obviously they could be employed not only on a clothes line for hanging clothes but, for example, on a smaller scale, on lines from which photographic prints are hung out to dry. It is to be noted that the sides 13, 14 of the hairpin-shaped ends of the loop are corrugated and tapered and this fits them to co-operate with thick or thin lines and with thick or thin fabrics.

The peg formed by loop 11 is rotatable around the clothes line and thus can be inverted and used in posi tions either on the left or right of the clothes, as indicated by the chain line 21 in FIGURE 1, and as shown in FIGURE 1.

I claim:

1. A peg for clipping articles on a line comprising an elongated closed loop of resilient material, said loop at each end having a gripper member, each gripper member having a pair of legs, said gripper members having their closed ends outermost, said gripper members being spaced rom and offset from each other on approximately parallel imaginary lines with said legs providing substantially tapered gripping spaces widening in directions generally toward each other, and side members spaced apart sufficiently for threaded coaction of a peg on a line, said side members being relatively long and diagonally disposed with respect to said grippers, one side member at opposite extremities joining one leg of each gripper, the other side member joining the remaining legs of the grippers, whereby each gripper may selectively releasably secure an article to the line.

2. A peg according to claim 1 wherein said legs are provided with corrugations arranged substantially transversely thereof.

3. A peg according to claim 1 wherein the surface of the peg are of plastic material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 152,762 7/74 Mutter 24-159 359,730 3/87 Lowe 24-264 561,475 6/96 Baringer 24259 626,894 6/99 Crisler 24-139.1 1,357,121 10/20 Sasse 24139 1,737,873 12/29 Bauer. 3,043,902 7/62 Klein l74l46 FOREIGN PATENTS 207,474 11/23 Great Britain. 499,281 1/54 Canada.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Examiner. 

1. A PEG FOR CLIPPING ARTICLES ON A LINE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED CLOSED LOOP OF RESILIENT MATERIAL, SAID LOOP AT EACH END HAVING A GRIPPER MEMBER, EACH GRIPPER MEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF LEGS, SAID GRIPPER MEMBERS HAVING THEIR CLOSED ENDS OUTERMOST, SAID GRIPPER MEMBERS BEING SPACED FROM AND OFFSET FROM EACH OTHER ON APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL IMAGINARY LINES WITH SAID LEGS PROVIDING SUBSTANTIALLY TAPERED GRIPPING SPACES WIDENING IN DIRECTIONS GENERALLY TOWARD EACH OTHER, AND SIDE MEMBERS SPACED APART SUFFICIENTLY FOR THREADED COACTION OF A PEG ON A LINE, DIPOSED WITH RESPECT TO SAID GRIPPERS, ONE SIDE MEMBER AT OPPOSITE EXTREMITIES JONING ONE LEG OF EACH GRIPPER, AT OPPOSITE EXTREMITIES JOINING ONE LEG OF EACH GRIPPER, THE OTHER SIDE MEMBER JOINING THE REMAINING LEGS OF THE GRIPPERS, WHEREBY EACH GRIPPER MAY SELECTIVELY RELEASABLY SECURE AN ARTICLE TO THE LINE. 